My four chosen experiences
1. Watch Nashville
2. Watch ACM Awards
3. Go two-stepping
4. Explore some classic country records
This semester I have had quite the experience with country music. I have done things I wouldn’t normally do as well as things that I have been doing for forever. When this class started I was a casual consumer of country music. I knew the hits and the classics, but not much about the culture. It wasn’t my go-to radio station of choice and I rarely wore my cowboy boots besides on game days. Now that it is May, I don’t necessarily think my music taste has completely shifted but I do think I have a greater appreciation for the culture and history of country music.
My journey with country music this semester.
https://storify.com/jujstaine/country-music-experiences-reflection
I am a huge fan of Nashville, the television show, solely because Connie Britton is the star and Friday Night Lights is my favorite TV show of all time, but tuning in and paying closer attention to the country music elements was actually really fun. I loved paying closer attention to the set when they played at the Grand Ole Opry and just noticing how sounding “pop” is not a good thing. The elements we studied in class were actually coming to life on my TV.
My favorite thing I did for this project though wasn’t watching Nashville, it was going to look at records. I went to my favorite record store on South 1st, End of an Ear. I actually ended up going on Record Store Day and it was packed. While I ended up leaving with a Beach Boys album (sorry!!!) I did look in the country section and was pleased to see a bunch of names I now recognized from Loretta Lynn to Johnny Cash, I felt way more knowledgable of country music and was proud to know more about music in general. There’s something awesome about looking at actual records instead of just downloading music to my phone that makes me truly appreciate the history of the music so this was my favorite experience of the semester!
My other two experiences were two-stepping and watching the ACM Awards. Unfortunately I don’t have a photo to commemorate my two-steppping efforts because my phone died that night, but I went to Midnight Rodeo with a bunch of my friends. We aren’t the best at that type of dancing and we didn’t go with any boys so it might not have been our favorite experience but I am glad I got to check it off my bucket list (and got a chance to chance to bust out my cowboy boots.) And the ACM Awards were fun to watch this year, especially since they were in Dallas! I actually had a few friends who ended up getting tickets somehow. I always love country award shows for the celebrity watching- especially my favorites Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert so I had a great time watching it. Since it was the 50th anniversary of the show, there was a particular emphasis on the history of country music that seemed very relevant to me because of this class, too!
All in all, I have really enjoyed my country music experience this semester. As a fan of music I am glad to say that I know more about one of the most unique genres that exists!
You and I ended up having similar experiences (although I think I enjoyed the dancing more than you did). I loved reading about your experience at the record store. I know it just makes me feel so connected to history when I actually hold a record. Listening to it is a completely different experience from a CD. Another thing I liked about your post was your love of Connie Britton (FNL is my all time favorite TV show). I think you chose great experiences and the fact that you linked them back to what we have learned in class was really nice.
Thanks, Julianne. I haven’t ever watched Friday Night Lights, but your post and Gaby’s comment are making me think I should. I do like Connie Britton! Overall, I think you’re right that this activity didn’t ask you to go out and do a whole bunch of new things, but to experience some things you were already doing in a different way. I am glad that you enjoyed it!